Bill Barlow
OCEAN CITY -- People in town had plenty to talk about after a Friday afternoon bombshell: Gillian's Wonderland will close for good at the end of the season.
The business has had a rocky time recently, narrowly avoiding the auction block in 2021. A $10 million investment kept the rides spinning, but also gave developer Eustace Mita control of the property, fueling widespread speculation about plans for a high-rise hotel or condominium project for the site even before owner Jay Gillian announced the closing.
That speculation has gotten more intense, although Mita said his teams would take a close look at the site to determine the best option. For residents, visitors and Boardwalk business owners, the idea of a future without Wonderland was beginning to sink in by Monday.
Wes Kazmarck, president of the Ocean City Boardwalk Merchants Association, said business owners have concerns about the loss of a major attraction on the Boardwalk. But on Monday, he said the main thing he was feeling was sad.
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"It's one of the most iconic, traditional powerhouses in Ocean City. It's tough seeing something like that coming to the end," he said, citing the park's history as one of the city's generational businesses. "You're not going to replace Wonderland Pier on the Boardwalk."
Jay Gillian is a three-term mayor in Ocean City, and the son of former Mayor Roy Gillian, who opened Wonderland at the current Sixth Street location in the 1960s and also served as mayor. Jay Gillian's grandfather, David Gillian, started in the Boardwalk amusements business more than 90 years ago.
"It's been my life, my legacy and my family. It's sad to let go," Gillian wrote in a message posted to social media Friday. In it, he shared memories of growing up in the business, learning to maintain the rides and being part of the vacation memories of generations.
"I tried my best to sustain Wonderland for as long as possible -- through increasingly difficult challenges each year," Gillian wrote. "But it's no longer a viable business."
Gillian's Wonderland in Ocean City set to close at season's end
Gillian's Wonderland, a Boardwalk landmark for generations, is set to close at the end of the season, owner Jay Gillian announced in a social media post Friday.
He plans to close in October, giving enough time for purchasers to use their ride tickets. A sign on the Sixth Street side of the building assured the rides and the Boardwalk pizza place are open.
"I don't think you can fault the Gillian family for retiring. You can only go as long as you can until it doesn't make sense for you anymore," Kazmarck said. "They're certainly going to be missed."
In previous interviews, Gillian cited the additional expense of an attempt to expand Wonderland with a Sea Isle City location, coming into a beach community that had not had an amusement park for many years. The Sea Isle business closed in 2014.
In 2021, Wonderland was close to a sheriff's sale, in default of $8 million in loans. A deed on file with the Cape May County Clerk's Office shows a $10 million sale of the property from Gillian's company Gilamco Inc. to 600 Boardwalk LLC based in Chester, Pennsylvania, on March 31 of that year.
Mita did not respond to a question Monday of whether he owned 600 Boardwalk LLC but on Friday described himself as the owner of the Wonderland property.
Kazmarck said Wonderland had a difficult time recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit in-person amusements hard and changed the economy as a whole.
"I know the Gillian family have been working really hard to keep the park going. Ever since COVID, it's been difficult," he said. "There was always the possibility the park would close."
The owner of Achristavest, a development company specializing in high-end residential properties, and Icona hotels, which has properties in Avalon, Cape May and elsewhere, Mita has pitched multimillion-dollar proposals for the former Beach Theatre in Cape May and for the Ocean City Boardwalk.
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His proposal for a $160 million, 325-room luxury hotel on a city-owned strip of land next to Wonderland in 2023 never got beyond a wintertime presentation to City Council. While there were plenty of rumors about his financial connection to Gillian, the mayor publicly opposed the idea.
"I cannot and will not support his proposal to the council," Gillian said at the time.
Still, Facebook pages focused on Ocean City and other social media sites have been awash in speculation about plans for the site, with many calling on the city to step in to preserve the amusement park, although the potential for a city takeover of a private business seems remote.
Hundreds signed a petition Monday on Change.org, stating "people don't want a mega hotel on the Boardwalk or in OC." The petition also calls for Gillian to resign as mayor.
Gillian said he does not own the property leased for Wonderland and has no say in what will happen there next. On Friday, Mita said he would not have a decision on plans for the site until the end of the year.
The property is in the On-Boardwalk zone, which does not allow for hotel and motel development. That would mean the property would need to be rezoned, or the Zoning Board would have to approve a use variance for any hotel to be considered.
The property is a landmark, literally. The towering Ferris wheel, at 144 feet one of the tallest on the East Coast, is one of the defining characteristics of the Ocean City skyline for those coming in via the Route 52 causeway day or night. Brightly lit at night, the patterns change for the seasons in an eye-catching display. The current wheel was installed in 2001.
In the 2021 campaign, Council member Keith Hartzell challenged Gillian, rather than run for reelection to his council seat. Hartzell made the possibility of Boardwalk hotel development a centerpiece of his campaign, saying high-rise development would fundamentally change the nature of the Boardwalk.
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"I predicted this, but now that it's here, it's all in Eustace's hands. He's the owner," Hartzell said Monday.
While the zoning would not allow for hotel or condo development at the site, Hartzell said there is a potential for a change in zoning, a use variance from the Zoning Board or even the consideration of a redevelopment zone. What council might accept is difficult to predict since no plan has been proposed.
"I kind of know what I don't want it to be, but I'm not sure what I want it to be," Hartzell said.
Back on council after this year's election, Hartzell said one of the reasons he ran in Ward 2 was because he believed something was coming for Wonderland. Whatever happens will have the biggest impact in that ward, he said.
"If they come back with a smaller amusement park and other development to help offset that, I would certainly listen to that," Hartzell said. "I think that the town won't accept a high-rise there at all."
The Boardwalk merchants will want to hear a proposal, Kazmarck said.
"It has to make sense for the Boardwalk, and it has to make sense for Ocean City," he said. Whatever is proposed will face multiple hurdles. For now, he sees the end of Wonderland as a significant setback for the city.
"I don't know what it looks like to have a Boardwalk with only one amusement park. It's very uncertain," Kazmrack said. He said the Boardwalk needs restaurants and retail but also needs entertainment like rides, arcades and miniature golf. There remain many exceptional businesses on the 'Walk, he said.
"It's not the end of the world," Kazmarck said.
Gillian's Wonderland in Ocean City is set to close in October; send us your memories
The Press of Atlantic City wants to know what your favorite memories are of Gillian's Wonderland in Ocean City.
Contact Bill Barlow:
609-272-7290
Twitter @jerseynews_bill
Share your memories
Gillian's Wonderland in Ocean City is set to close in October after more than 94 years in business.
The Press of Atlantic City wants to know what your favorite memories are of the park. Email [email protected]. Include your name and hometown as well as any photos. Use the subject line "Gillian's memories." Comments and photos may be used in a future story.
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